MLS WORKS, Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative, will officially launch its 5th annual Kick Childhood Cancer campaign to benefit Children’s Oncology Group on Saturday as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Supported by all 23 MLS clubs, the month-long campaign will feature a commemorative gold adidas Nativo 2018 Official Match Ball and limited-edition merchandise designed by Los Angeles-based illustrator Daniel Sulzberg. Kick Childhood Cancer-related events and observations will also happen in stadiums, digitally and on TV broadcasts.

Limited edition Kick Childhood Cancer scarves and t-shirts will be worn by players, coaches and referees during pre-game activities. The apparel, along with other “gold-themed” merchandise, including lapel pins and plush toys, are available for purchase at MLSstore.com and at select in-stadium retailers with proceeds benefiting Children’s Oncology Group. MLS Kick Childhood Cancer games will also include “gold-themed” corner flags and goal nets, gold captain’s armbands and commemorative jersey patches. Fans can also donate directly to Children’s Oncology Group.

Fans are encouraged to support local club observances and post images with their Kick Childhood Cancer scarf, or other favorite club scarves on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #ScarvesUp. MLS WORKS will make a donation to Children’s Oncology Group for each post that includes the hashtag.

Additionally, fans will have an opportunity to bid on Kick Childhood Cancer game-used autographed memorabilia as part of the MLS WORKS holiday auction beginning in early November.

Children’s Oncology Group is the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research, uniting a global research team of more than 10,000 experts in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other select countries in the fight against childhood cancer. The organization’s goal is to cure all children and adolescents with cancer, in addition to reducing the short and long-term complications of cancer treatments, determining the causes, and finding ways to prevent childhood cancer.

Kick Childhood Cancer donations have helped strengthen Children’s Oncology Group's research efforts across the entire spectrum of pediatric cancers, including Project:EveryChild — which aims to capture the biology and outcome data of every child diagnosed with cancer. A single enrollment into a clinical trial for Project:EveryChild can approach $10,000. MLS has contributed to offsetting the costs of nearly 15,000 children by the end of 2018 and an anticipated 25,000 by 2019.

For more information on Kick Childhood Cancer, Children’s Oncology Group or other MLS WORKS initiatives, visit MLSsoccer.com/mlsworks.